Ironically, it was Vancouver's Alex Burrows that scored the game-winning goal 11 seconds to overtime for a 3-2 victory over Boston in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Vancouver holds a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is Monday in Boston at 8 p.m. EST.
The Bruins held a 2-1 lead before the Canucks' Daniel Sedin tied it midway through the third.
I will give the edge to Boston in Game 3. I like the Bruins in a 4-3 victory.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Game 2 is pivitol for Boston
I won't say it's over if Boston loses Game 2, overcoming 0-2 deficits in the Stanley Cup playoffs aren't unheard of, however the Bruins need to beat Vancouver tonight if they want to win this series.
The Canucks are dangerous because they can win games in many different ways. For instance, they edged Boston, 1-0, in Game 1 after Raffi Torres scored with less than 20 seconds to go. Wednesday's game was the type of game the Bruins like to play and Vancouver still pulled it out.
The Canucks don't mind getting in a high scoring affair. They feature the better power play, even though they didn't score in Game 1 with the man advantage, and can play that finesse game. Boston can score, but it is more capable of scoring dirty goals.
Vancouver is not afraid to mix it up, either.
With all due respect to the Bruins, I don't think this will be a close finals. The Canucks are too good.
That said, if Tim Thomas can keep standing on his head, Boston might have a chance to make this series competitve.
Vancouver takes a 3-2 victory in Game 2 tonight.
The Canucks are dangerous because they can win games in many different ways. For instance, they edged Boston, 1-0, in Game 1 after Raffi Torres scored with less than 20 seconds to go. Wednesday's game was the type of game the Bruins like to play and Vancouver still pulled it out.
The Canucks don't mind getting in a high scoring affair. They feature the better power play, even though they didn't score in Game 1 with the man advantage, and can play that finesse game. Boston can score, but it is more capable of scoring dirty goals.
Vancouver is not afraid to mix it up, either.
With all due respect to the Bruins, I don't think this will be a close finals. The Canucks are too good.
That said, if Tim Thomas can keep standing on his head, Boston might have a chance to make this series competitve.
Vancouver takes a 3-2 victory in Game 2 tonight.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
No punishment for Canucks' Burrows
Vancouver's Alex Burrows will not be disciplined by the NHL for allegedly biting the gloved hand of Boston's Patrice Bergeron Wednesday during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.
The two were in a scuffle at the end of the first period, when, according to Burrows, Bergeron put his fingers in his mouth.
Bergeron said he isn't worried about the decision, and Burrows claims he didn't bite him, even though Bergeron had two get his fingers looked at.
I said it in a previous post and I'll say it again. Burrows should be suspended for one game. Biting, sucker punches and below the belt shots are out of line.
The NHL once again shows its inconsistency in regards to disciplining its players.
If I'm Bergeron, the best way to get back at Burrows is score a goal in Game 2 and lead his team to victory.
The two were in a scuffle at the end of the first period, when, according to Burrows, Bergeron put his fingers in his mouth.
Bergeron said he isn't worried about the decision, and Burrows claims he didn't bite him, even though Bergeron had two get his fingers looked at.
I said it in a previous post and I'll say it again. Burrows should be suspended for one game. Biting, sucker punches and below the belt shots are out of line.
The NHL once again shows its inconsistency in regards to disciplining its players.
If I'm Bergeron, the best way to get back at Burrows is score a goal in Game 2 and lead his team to victory.
Vancouver wins Game 1 on Torres' late goal
It took nearly 60 minutes, but Vancouver got the only goal it needed when Raffi Torres scored with 18.5 seconds remaining in the third period for a 1-0 victory Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals at Rogers Center in Vancouver.
Jannik Hansen took a pass from Ryan Kesler, who made Bruins goalie Tim Thomas challenge a would-be shot due to a 2-on-1 situation, and fired the puck to Torres for the easy one timer. Thomas had no chance on the play.
Kesler made an exceptional play to chip the puck past the Boston defense and stay onsides in the process.
Thomas was great, stopping 33 shots and was 18.5 seconds from posting 120 minutes of shutout goaltending, but Roberto Luongo was a tad better.
Luongo made 36 saves for his third shutout this postseason and was the game's No. 1 star. Thomas was No. 2 and Torres 3.
The game was a tight, defensive battle with some chippy moments. Vancouver's Alex Burrows appeared to bite the gloved finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle after the first-period buzzer.
As of this writing, nothing has been addressed to whether Burrows will be punished. I believe a one-game suspension is warranted.
Failures on the power play were another story as neither team scored with the man advantage. Both teams were 0-for-6, and the Bruins failed to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 in the early stages of the second period.
This victory is very encouraging for the Canucks. A low-scoring, tight checking game is more suited for the Bruins. They score many goals by putting the puck on net with traffic. I don't think Boston needs to change anything for Game 2, however it has to score on the power play and keep Vancouver from scoring with the man advantage. They accomplished one part of that in Game 1.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, I don't see the Canucks' PP being held down again in this series.
Game 2 is Saturday and I give the edge to Vancouver, 3-2.
Jannik Hansen took a pass from Ryan Kesler, who made Bruins goalie Tim Thomas challenge a would-be shot due to a 2-on-1 situation, and fired the puck to Torres for the easy one timer. Thomas had no chance on the play.
Kesler made an exceptional play to chip the puck past the Boston defense and stay onsides in the process.
Thomas was great, stopping 33 shots and was 18.5 seconds from posting 120 minutes of shutout goaltending, but Roberto Luongo was a tad better.
Luongo made 36 saves for his third shutout this postseason and was the game's No. 1 star. Thomas was No. 2 and Torres 3.
The game was a tight, defensive battle with some chippy moments. Vancouver's Alex Burrows appeared to bite the gloved finger of Boston's Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle after the first-period buzzer.
As of this writing, nothing has been addressed to whether Burrows will be punished. I believe a one-game suspension is warranted.
Failures on the power play were another story as neither team scored with the man advantage. Both teams were 0-for-6, and the Bruins failed to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 in the early stages of the second period.
This victory is very encouraging for the Canucks. A low-scoring, tight checking game is more suited for the Bruins. They score many goals by putting the puck on net with traffic. I don't think Boston needs to change anything for Game 2, however it has to score on the power play and keep Vancouver from scoring with the man advantage. They accomplished one part of that in Game 1.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, I don't see the Canucks' PP being held down again in this series.
Game 2 is Saturday and I give the edge to Vancouver, 3-2.
Stanley Cup Finals: Game One
The NHL yesterday announced that Colin Campbell will be stepping down as the head of supplemental discipline. He will be replaced in that role to begin next season by former player Brenden Shanahan, but it is expected that some sort of committee, with Shanahan at its head, will be established to review incidents that take place during games and try to establish some consistency and order to what has been a murky and seemingly random process of fines and suspensions.
The 1st game of the Stanley Cup finals gave us another example of an event that will fall under Shanahan's jurisdiction next season, as the Vancouver Canucks Alex Burrows took a bite out of the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron at the end of a hard hitting 1st period. The decision if Burrows will face a suspension for this act will actually fall upon the desk of Mike Murphy. Campbell has recused himself from all incidents in the Finals as his son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins. I hope no emails leak out with Campbell trying to influence his underling.
Outside of the dental related controversies, Game One was a solid defensive struggle between two teams both trying to establish physical dominance while maintaining solid defensive systems. The game remained tied at 0-0 until Raffi Torres finally got the 1st and only goal of the game with 18 seconds left to play in the final period, cancelling out what seemed to be an inevitable overtime duel. It was the latest game winner in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, when Mario Lemieux scored with 13 seconds left in the 3rd to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 series lead against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both goalies played fabulously, Roberto Luongo will get the shutout for the record books, but I would say that Tim Thomas actually played better and had to make some tougher saves through the course of the game. This is the 3rd time this postseason Luongo and his Canucks have launched a series with a game one shutout.
“I thought we were going to play all night the way it was going,” Luongo said. “It was an exciting way to start the series. It was such a close game. It could have gone either way, a flip of the coin.”
When Torres scored it was the first goal Tim Thomas had allowed in 128 minutes of play, having shutout the Tampa Lighting in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas and the Bruins got no help at all from their powerplay, going 0 for 5 with the man advantage, including a futile extended 5 on 3 in the 2nd period.
Last night was the kind of game Boston needs to win to have a chance in this series. Dropping a close game out of the gates like that hurts, and the game one winner has gone on to win the series 77% of the time in the Stanley Cup Finals. If Boston can steal one on the road Saturday night they will have a good chance going home. It will be a long cross-continent flight down in a 2-0 hole if they don't.
The 1st game of the Stanley Cup finals gave us another example of an event that will fall under Shanahan's jurisdiction next season, as the Vancouver Canucks Alex Burrows took a bite out of the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron at the end of a hard hitting 1st period. The decision if Burrows will face a suspension for this act will actually fall upon the desk of Mike Murphy. Campbell has recused himself from all incidents in the Finals as his son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins. I hope no emails leak out with Campbell trying to influence his underling.
Outside of the dental related controversies, Game One was a solid defensive struggle between two teams both trying to establish physical dominance while maintaining solid defensive systems. The game remained tied at 0-0 until Raffi Torres finally got the 1st and only goal of the game with 18 seconds left to play in the final period, cancelling out what seemed to be an inevitable overtime duel. It was the latest game winner in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, when Mario Lemieux scored with 13 seconds left in the 3rd to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 series lead against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both goalies played fabulously, Roberto Luongo will get the shutout for the record books, but I would say that Tim Thomas actually played better and had to make some tougher saves through the course of the game. This is the 3rd time this postseason Luongo and his Canucks have launched a series with a game one shutout.
“I thought we were going to play all night the way it was going,” Luongo said. “It was an exciting way to start the series. It was such a close game. It could have gone either way, a flip of the coin.”
When Torres scored it was the first goal Tim Thomas had allowed in 128 minutes of play, having shutout the Tampa Lighting in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas and the Bruins got no help at all from their powerplay, going 0 for 5 with the man advantage, including a futile extended 5 on 3 in the 2nd period.
Last night was the kind of game Boston needs to win to have a chance in this series. Dropping a close game out of the gates like that hurts, and the game one winner has gone on to win the series 77% of the time in the Stanley Cup Finals. If Boston can steal one on the road Saturday night they will have a good chance going home. It will be a long cross-continent flight down in a 2-0 hole if they don't.
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